


Right stuff

by TFALokiwriter



Category: Planet 51 (2009)
Genre: Gen, Heartwarming, Post-Canon, Short Story, What happened to the xenomorph dog?, what happened to the astronaut?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-17 06:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17554757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter





	Right stuff

Chuck's ship tore through the clouds going through the atmosphere. He had the right stuff, now, more than ever taking control of the situation. Leaving it to AI's, automatic programming, could spell disaster that did happen in the form of Rover. Maybe not a disaster. For the first time in a very long time as a astronaut, Chuck felt brave and right. He felt like a astronaut. To be more specific, he felt like Captain Kirk who had performed a successful first contact with its problems and opened up the civilization to the fact that they were not alone. That aliens, humans, came in peace. 

He wondered how to tell mission control, let alone the president, in his report about what he had found on the little planet that was strikingly similar to their own except for the fact about the aliens. That they had green skin, three toes per foot, that they had antennas, wore shirts, dresses, but didn't wear any pants. That they were stuck in the fifties and it was going to take awhile before they reached the sixties. He wasn't going to forget about Lem. Not now, not in the future, not ever. He wondered how long it would take for the wrong kind of visitor to come by the planet and encounter the locals. A part of him felt that they had to be smart enough to realize who didn't have 'the right kind of stuff' for them.

The Odssey drew closer to Chuck.

Why did his craft have to be so damn heavy?

All those systems, equipment, and the weight of a human were needed to be working together to break the atmosphere.

Save his ass and several natives at that including a general.

His idols would look up to him.

All those who hadn't been born yet.

"Come on. . ." Chuck said, guiding the craft toward the command module.

The door moved open before Chuck's eyes.

His heart soared at the doors opening before him then gently allowed the craft to  float down to the landing padd. The doors closed from behind the space pod. He took his helmet off, turning on the artificial gravity, then climbed down from the center toward the bottom. What Chuck saw next was a creature that strikingly reminded him of the xenomorph but smaller and---wagging its long curly tail while sitting down in the chair.  Chuck let out a terrified scream with his back hitting the wall.

"Oh my god!" Chuck shrieked. "Not you again!"

Ripley was wagging its tail with a big grin then barked at him sending Chuck running into the bridge then closed the door behind him.

* * *

Thirty-three minutes passed between Chuck seeing the dog and running up to the bridge. The lower section was sealed off. Chuck counted himself lucky that it wasn't trying to open the door. Or it could be waiting for him to come down then turn him into a egg. He was terrified. Any ordinary alien, human, would be in this given situation. A humaniac would be in any given situation, the counterparts of humans, construed to be as alien as the species themselves. They still hadn't a name. It would be NASA's power to name the people not the astronaut. Chuck was tempted at naming it 'Rockenroll' for the sake of it.

"Fuck,"

Chuck placed his hands on his face from the chair. 

_I got someones dog in my goddam ship._

"How am I going to get out of this one?" Chuck asked.

A alien dog resembling the most feared creature in scifi was the breaking point in having the right stuff.

"What would Lem do?" Chuck asked, looking up.

A smile grew on Chuck's face.

"It's just a dog, Chuck," Chuck told himself.

Chuck propped himself up to his feet then moved toward the cabinet where he took out a packet of food rations.

"Feed the dog," Chuck said.

Chuck opened the food ration then opened the lower section of the ship.

"Here goes nothing," Chuck said.

* * *

The Odyssey was in flight back to Earth with the human in tow. It was silent. No one could have possibly known that fifty-one light years way from Earth was the most tense situation to occur between a astronaut and a alien dog. Ripley was seated on the seat scratching at its ear. Chuck came down to the bottom visibly trembling, terrified then shoved the fear down coming toward the creature. Chuck knelt down toward the Ripley.

"Come here," Chuck said.

Ripley tilted its head then sniffed the packaging.

"How did you get in here?" Chuck asked, softly with suspicious eyes reaching his free hand out.

Ripley reached out then bit into the food ration.

Chuck placed his hand on Ripley's head then gently stroked along its ear. The dog's tongue halfway stuck out while thumping its foot. His eyes were fixated on the creature observing for any drool. His wary guarded features faded into lowered guard and relaxed. He pat on the dog's head then lifted up the small bell attached to the collar.

"Ripley," Chuck said. "Well, Ripley, I don't know how you reproduce. . ." he observed the piece of long fabric stuck on to the blue collar that appeared to be covered in burns.  "That settles one thing."

Ripley jumped on to his knee then curled down between his legs.

"I'll get that acid figured out," Chuck said, picking up Ripley. "Ripley, you're gonna be a star!"

Ripley barked, wagging the long curled tail from side to side.

"After being quarantined," Chuck added, then hugged Ripley. "You're gonna hate sneaking aboard my ship."

Ripley licked the side of Chuck's face.

Chuck blinked, caught off guard, then wiped his hand down his right cheek and slowly lifted his hand down. There was no sting. No agonizing pain. Just the distinctive feeling that his face was wet. His fingers were coated in a fine layer of liquid. Ripley had strange texture on its tongue.

"It's going to be alright," Chuck said, getting up to his feet sliding Ripley into the side of his arms. "Oh no because I am a rocket man."

Chuck pressed the button to the doorway that slowly began to open into the landing bay.

"Welcome to The American Embassy," Chuck said, tickling Ripley's belly with a smile watching it stretch out throwing its head back and wagged its tail. Chuck grinned at the delighted alien dog. "You are officially the animal diplomat to Rockenroll."

**The End.**


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